Traditional high capacity staggered column magazines may be difficult for a person to fill and reload. Especially difficult are magazines capable of holding 15 or more rounds of ammunition. Substantial finger pressure is required and may cause injury or damage to the thumb of the person loading the staggered column magazine.
Prior art methods of assisting a person in loading a magazine may be cumbersome or require a sizable loading assistance device to operate. These devices may act on the last loaded round compressing the spring sufficiently to load another round more easily than would be the case if the last round was not depressed. These pushing methods may 1) damage a round on which the pushing method acts, 2) require a large form factor device external to the magazine to operate, 3) require the presence of the device to operate, and 4) be ultimately less useful if relied upon for continuous use.
Therefore, a need exists for a high capacity magazine loading assistance device and method which requires a minimum of tools external to the magazine.